Chapter 574 The Mysterious Officiant

Just before the luxury wedding car arrived, a special automatic carpet-laying car took the lead and laid a more than 200-meter-long red carpet from the entrance of the venue to the fountain garden. While laying the red carpet, the car also There was a flower sprayer that sprayed rose petals of various colors onto the carpet as a decoration.

Immediately afterwards, two camera cars followed, one on the left and one on the right, and a light helicopter hovered over the wedding scene to take aerial photography in order to reproduce the wedding scene in three dimensions.

The invited guests all left their seats and gathered outside the cordons on both sides of the red carpet.

The first luxury wedding car stopped a hundred meters away from the garden. The door slid open, and a man and a woman appeared in front of everyone, wearing wedding dresses.

"Oh, the bride is so beautiful!" Someone next to her exclaimed immediately.

"Mr. Chen, you made a mistake. Those are the best man and bridesmaid! Didn't you see the logo on their chests?" Someone immediately corrected them.

Sure enough, everyone paid attention to the logos on the chests of the men and women who got off the car. The logos made of gold wire were indeed the words best man and bridesmaid, but everyone also saw that they were just the best man and bridesmaid. This set of outfits It costs more than tens of millions, especially the exquisite decorations on the groomsmen and bridesmaids. They are all star-studded and carefully made of solid-color diamonds and gold threads. The European-style crowns are inlaid with The diamond decoration is worth over 20 million, and the best man is holding a scepter in his hand. The bloodstone on the top is bright red, and it can be seen from a distance that it is worth a lot of money.

Those with knowledge immediately recognized that this scepter was the one used by the Byzantine Emperor Himradali I during his coronation. It is also one of the top ten precious scepters so far. , priceless.

However, the identities of the best man and bridesmaid are naturally different. They are Fan Kang and Xiao Qiang.

Fan Kang naturally didn't dress as stylishly as the groom, but the black God of Gamblers cape with a stand-up collar complemented his handsome appearance, and the gold-rimmed eyes that were temporarily acquired to decorate his elegant look made him look more elegant.

Xiao Qiang's outfit attracted the focus of countless flashing lights. The lights that kept lighting up for a moment were even more dazzling than the bright sunshine.

"Fortunately, we were prepared before, otherwise just these flashing lights would have made it difficult for people to open their eyes." Xiao Qiang held Fan Kang's hand and said to Fan Kang in a low voice while assuming the most elegant posture. .

"Wuyou has done so many tricks. Are you tired? I have been arrested and harassed by him since last night. After completing this ritual today, I immediately went home to sleep.

"Fan Kang replied.

Fan Kang is considered a lazy person. It’s not that he is lazy, but from a mental point of view, he doesn’t like such noisy scenes, nor does he like to be busy with business all day long. He spends all his time enjoying himself. , a little less than half of his annual income was dispersed.

He and Xiao Qiang were the leaders, and then an extended wedding car stopped. Thirty-six male and female flower girls got out one after another. They were all very attractive ones. They were divided into two rows and followed Fan. Behind Kang and Xiao Qiang, they stopped fifty meters away from the fountain garden.

The third long wedding car stopped. This was a very tall wedding car. It looked like a double-decker bus, but its appearance was that of an ordinary car. It looked very weird. When the car stopped, the front face It was suddenly opened, as if boarding a ship, and a metal gangway more than five meters long was revealed inside.

Fan Ting and Han Chu stood on the escalator and let it descend slowly. It felt a bit like Martians getting off the spacecraft. Everyone was a little stunned. They didn't know where such a fancy wedding car was. Got it?

However, someone immediately introduced that this car was specially built by Fan's Automobile Manufacturing Company for Fan Ting's wedding and was not sold to outsiders. However, judging from the level of attention at today's wedding scene, it is estimated that this kind of car is likely to be sold in a small area. It became popular within a year. Of course, it must have been customized in advance. Ordinary people cannot afford this thing.

The moment Fan Ting and Han Chu stepped onto the red carpet, solemn music started playing. In order to enhance the musical effect, Fan Wubing also had two huge pipe organs specially brought from Germany. A huge echo gallery is constructed around it with metal walls.

When the sound of the pipe organ sounded, the huge resonance caused the people present to feel their blood boiling and their hearts to be greatly shocked. The organist who played the pipe organ was an authentic clergyman invited from the Vatican, with the title of bishop. Son.

Next, hundreds of singers who served as a temporary choir began to perform several predetermined songs. Everyone was a leader in the field. When they picked up the music and started chanting, the feeling was much stronger than that brought by ordinary choirs. .

Fan Ting and Han Chu were also a little nervous. Although Fan Ting had been the boss for a long time and had met too many dignitaries in the business and political circles, she was still surrounded by thousands of business and political leaders like today. This is the first time in the world that people are watching. In addition, today is a day of great significance, so it is inevitable that you will feel a little timid. In addition, Fan Wubing deliberately created this kind of scene, which is really a bit fast. I can't hold back the field anymore.

Fortunately, when everyone was very excited, the music gradually died down and everyone's mood began to return to normal.

In the garden, the elders of the bride and groom gathered together, smiling at the two newlyweds who were about to come.

If it was according to the original intention of the two elders, they would have adopted a Chinese wedding ceremony, but in that case, it would be difficult to handle due to Fan Heng's current status. Therefore, Fan Wubing decisively adopted a Western wedding, so that everyone only needed to watch the ceremony from the side, and there was no need to go through those red tape.

In this way, the central leaders who were the special guests could also participate in the whole process, which was enough to save the face of Fan Heng's family. Otherwise, it would be difficult to come to support them, because it would be too cumbersome and ostentatious.

Fan Heng and his wife accompanied their relatives and central officials to watch the ceremony. Those who were on good terms with them, such as Boss Zhu, Minister Zhang of the General Logistics Department, and several central committee members who often came and went, all gave gifts. Everyone sat there and watched the newlyweds walk into the garden and come to the platform built with flowers.

At this time, everyone had a question in their mind, that is, who is qualified to preside over such a grand wedding ceremony?

Just as everyone was guessing, the sound of singing hymns rang out again, and a team of clergy, about 40 people, dressed in various costumes, slowly walked out from the back of the garden.

Among the people present, in addition to many domestic business and political figures, there were also many foreign dignitaries. After seeing the team appear, these people immediately screamed, and then formed a tidal sensation and cheered like a tsunami.

"This is--" Several knowledgeable people present were stunned, "The guard of honor of the Pope of Rome!"

It was the Pope's guard of honor that appeared in front. They were very young, with handsome and clear appearance, solemn expressions, reserved manners, holding prayer flags and sacred objects in their hands and walking slowly. The selection of the Pope's guard of honor was very strict. They must be Swiss, Catholics, single, over 174 cm tall, and without beards. Every May 6th, new members of the honor guard take an oath in the Vatican to commemorate the 147 Swiss soldiers who died on May 6, 1527 to protect the Pope.

In the Vatican team in white loose robes, an elder attracted attention. Although there were people of the same age next to him, he was the only one who looked very solemn in his tall hat and wide belt, wearing a gold and silver robe, and a gilded triple bronze crown. He was Pope Paul II.

Although many people in China do not take religion seriously and have heard about Pope Paul II, the grace and elegance of the old man in front of him are incomparable to ordinary people. He really stands out from the crowd. There are many believers among the guests nearby. Seeing the Pope in person, they can't help but feel more enthusiastic. Some shouted at the top of their lungs, and some stretched their hands to the sky to pray. Obviously, they did not expect such a scene and were overjoyed.

The central government officials present were also somewhat confused. They had not received any news that Pope John Paul II would attend Fan Ting's wedding, nor had they expected that Fan Wubing could actually get this ** element to preside over the wedding. They were really caught off guard.

However, considering that everyone was attending the wedding in their personal capacity and was being secretive, it was not easy to overreact. After all, this was just a private occasion, and there was no need to make things too rigid.

According to the Catholic wedding agenda, the bride must wear a white wedding dress, and the flowers and jewelry on her head and hands are very particular. The groom should also wear a tuxedo and tie a red or black bow tie to coordinate with the atmosphere of the church wedding. In addition, accompanied by the "Wedding March", the bride's father led his daughter and slowly walked to the Holy Spirit, handing her over to the groom, and the wedding began.

Then the clergy arranged the altar, the bride and groom knelt on the stool, prepared a plate and holy water, and the newlyweds gathered at the door of the church, changed their clothes, and the pianist was ready. The priest and the deacon waited in front of the altar, and the witnesses were in place.

The master of ceremonies announced the start of the wedding, and the pianist played the music, namely the "Wedding March". The couple walked steadily forward and knelt in front of the altar. Then the priest began to preside over the wedding, and the pianist played the background music "Ave Maria".

Then the celebrant announced that the newlyweds should hug and show their love, and everyone applauded. After that, the newlyweds knelt down to thank God, stood up to thank the priest, the witness, the parents of both parties, the guests, friends, and staff, and then took photos.

But today's situation is obviously a little different. First of all, Fan Ting and Han Chu were not Catholics before, and the current scene is not in the church, but a temporary altar. Another very important point is that the main priest is Pope John Paul II, and the auxiliary priest is also a red cardinal. The scale is unprecedented.

According to the previous standards, this treatment is only possible when the emperor is crowned or married.

The most important point is that the Vatican and the continent have not established formal diplomatic relations, and they have always been in a state of opposition in ideology.

John Paul II was born in Poland and was the second non-Italian Pope in history. He had a more radical stance. Former Soviet President Gorbachev once said that without the Pope the Iron Curtain would not fall, and many former Soviet republics also held this view.

However, in January this year, Pope Paul II visited Cuba, which is also a socialist country, and was friendly to Cuba. He criticized the United States for its long-term embargo on Cuba, which hurt the Cuban people. This trip won him the trust of the Cuban government and people, and helped Cuban Catholics gain more freedom. He also criticized extreme corporate capitalism.

Pope Paul II was not in good health. After two premeditated assassinations and the threat of cancer, his health became worse and worse. In recent years, he not only removed a tumor from his large intestine, but also dislocated his shoulder and had his appendix removed the year before last. So under such circumstances, he was able to come to Fan Ting's wedding to host it in person, which was obviously unexpected by everyone, and ordinary royal family members could not ask for this opportunity.

The Pope is a lifelong system. After the death of the previous Pope, the Pope's Council, composed of cardinals from all over the world, will elect a new Pope. The election of the Pope must be carried out strictly in accordance with the traditional method since the Middle Ages. The election adopts a mutual election method, and the one who gets more than two-thirds of the votes is elected. The list of candidates is not mentioned in advance, so it often takes multiple votes to get a result.

During the election period, the situation related to the election must not be leaked. To wait for the results of the election, thousands of believers gathered in St. Peter's Square outside the Sistine Chapel, staring at the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. Every time a vote was cast, smoke came out of the chimney. If the smoke was black, it meant that the election had not yet been concluded. If white smoke rose from the chimney, it meant that the new pope had been elected.

The pope has always been Italian, but Pope Hadria VI was Dutch. A non-Italian as pope caused an uproar and tragedy. The Romans at that time believed that it was heresy to let a non-Italian as pope. The Romans rushed into the Sistine Chapel, beat the cardinals who participated in the election of the pope with stones and sticks, and robbed the church of all valuables.

Coincidentally, the plague was spreading in Europe at that time, and the pope, who came from a poor carpenter family, became the target of public criticism. One year and eight months later, the pope died inexplicably. Instead of mourning, the Romans celebrated as if it were a festival.

More than 400 years later, the Pope John Paul II elected in 1978 was not Italian but Polish. When the news came out, the 150,000 people gathered in St. Peter's Square were very surprised and talked about it.

However, the election result did not cause any disturbance. On the contrary, when Paul II appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's Monastery, he received a traditional warm welcome.

Today, it is amazing that Paul II can attend the wedding of a couple from a non-diplomatic country and serve as the main priest, especially since many foreigners at the scene are Catholics, and they feel that there is some unusual meaning in it.